Cup-packing expander.



I. R. SMITH.

CUP PACKING EXPANDER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1914.

1 ,1 85,355. Patented May 30, 1916.

WITNESSES." 7P6 w Zf ATTORNEYS 1:] onrucn.

IRVIN B. SMITH, 01'! HASTINGS, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOB OI ONE-HALF TO JOHN S.

WILLIAMS, OF HASTINGS, NEBRASKA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. May so, 1916.

Application fi led September 29, 1914. Serial No. 864,073.

. of Hastings, in the county of Adams and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cup-Packing Expanders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pump packings of the cup class, and the main object thereof is to provide an automatic, mechanical, ex-

pander for such packings, whereby an even pressure is maintained between said packing cups and the walls of the pump cylinder,

thus insuring a maximum efliciency thereto and insuring long life thereto by reason of the fact that it is impossible for the sides of the packing to wrinkle, crumble, or collapse, irrespective of the thickness thereof, even when worn very thin by long use.

A further object is to provide such expanders on each side of a piston, in such manner that pressure is only exerted upon that particular packing in action and thus insure positive action with fluids of any density, but insuring-greater and firmer contact with the walls of the cylinder as the density of gas, fluid or semi-fluid being pumped is greater.

A further object is to so construct the expanders that, upon a return stroke of the piston, the packing which had been in action is instantly and automatically released from any strain or wear; and further objects are.

to provide such expanders which are simple in construction, positive in use, not likely to get out of order, to require repair, and comparatively inexpensive.

My invention is fully described in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts are designated by the same reference characters in each of the ing a piston rod 6 longitudinallymovable therein, threaded at its end as shown in Fig 1, and ad ustably held thereon, bymeans of two threaded sleeves 7 and 8, are two clamp-' ing plates 9 and 10, for packing cups 11 and 12, respectively.

Slidable upon each of the sleeve 7 and 8 is a d1sk 13.and 14, respectively, the peripheries of which are of the approximate internal diameter of the barrel 5 and are inwardly tapered to form conical bearing surfaces for the flared edges of the respective cups, and it will be seen that, if one of the disks, hereinafter referred to as the expanders, be moved toward the clamping plates 9 and 10, the corresponding edge of the cup is forced into close and even' contact with the interior of the barrel 5, the firmness of this contact being in the degree of pressure exerted upon the expander; by reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that each sleeve is provided with aflange 15 which serves to imprison the corre: sponding expander, but is sufliciently far removed from the operative position thereof to permit a considerabledegree of play to the expanders, longitudinally of the rod 6, thus permitting the inactive expander to recede from its contact with the corresponding packing cup and thereby relieving said cup of all strain or pressure against the interior of the barrel, whereby no wear on the inoperative cup is possible.

Inasmuch as the cups are immovable, the

pressure of gas or fluid pumped is upon the corresponding expander, which is thus forced into contact with the corresponding cup, and which is forced against the interior walls of the barrel in the degree of pressure exerted upon the expander, and this is determined by the volume being pumped, orby the weight thereof, as with gas fluids or semi-fluids of considerable density, This expander pressure upon the active packing cup is true regardless of the degree of ,wear of the latter, as said expander is free to move toward the clamping plates as the cup isbeing worn away, nor does the thickness of the walls of the cups affect this expander action thereon, and it will be seen that, because of c the relieving of said cups from' activity, al-

ternately, the life thereof is doubled over those in conventional pumps.

It will also be seen that a piston provided 7 with my expanders differs from the convent qnal pi t ns in that I .r ly p n th x barrel'is only that of the weight or density ,of the material being pumped over the very "limited interior cup wall area, and this is very slight when the cups are worn considerably, resulting in leakage, but with my ex panders there is no possibility of leakage until the cups are entirely worn out because ofthe relatively great area of thefiuid contacting side of the expander.

Further, I take advantage of the well known prlnciple of the wedge for forcing the cup walls into barrel contact, and this is not possible to the convention cup packmgs. I

While I have shown certain details of specific form, I do not limit myself-thereto, but may make changes thereover, within thescope of the following claim, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let'- ters Patent, is

The combination with a pump barrel, of a piston rod, clamping plates held thereon, sleeves in threaded engagement-with said rod on each side of said plates for holding the latter in place, a cup packing held between said plates, and a conical expander slidable on and forthe full length of each of said sleeves and engaged with the edge of said packing, said sleeves having, each a flange on theouter end thereof to conline the expander thereon.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IRVIN R. SMITH. Witnesses: HARVEY A. SMITH, LLOYD. J. WILLIAMS. 

